Returning to Los Nuggetz, we delve back into the world of vintage Latin Garage Rock!
In the spirit of Latin Garage Rock, here's a vintage poster for a Santo flick!
Los Nuggetz - Disc Two
1. Los Johnny Jets – “Deja De Llorar” – Opening up with a wall-of-sound created by guitars, drums, a bass guitar, and a saxophone, this one is a rockin’ shuffle that should get you on your feet for awhile! Apparently, this one was originally performed by The Mojos (“Everything’s Alright”), in the UK.
Los Johnny Jets!
2. Los Pops – “Te Esperaba” – A cover of “See See Rider”, this one starts up with an electric organ scramble, and then hits hard with the steady drums and rough voiced vocalist! I like the tone change that happens about a minute in, as it helps to keep things interesting.
3. Los Salvajes – “Hielo En Vez De Amor” – Los Salvajes return, this time with a crooning Pop-Rock number! It’s alright, if a little strained sounding.
4. Els 5 Xics – “Soy Muy Hombre” – A cover of “I’m a Man” by the Spencer Davis Group, this one is a crawler with a sort of frantic feeling to it. The electric organ helps to give it a slight Psychadelic sound.
5. Los Young Beats – “Baby Please Don’t Go” – This one is a very strange tune, with a jarring and irregular beat to it. The guitar playing is top notch, and the bassist really keeps the song going strong ‘till the end (not to mention the lazy, rough vocals). Big Joe Williams originally recorded this number back in the day. Also, this is another track in the compilation where the vocalist sings in heavily accented English.
Los Young Beats!
6. Los Cheyenes – “Bla Bla Bla” – A nice club-shaker with good all-around guitar, bass, and drum work. The best part is near the beginning, when the guitarist plays a solo as the vocalist shouts in the background!
7. Os Lobos – “Miragem” – A smooth Vocal-Pop number, this one aims to set a relaxing mood rather than tear down a dance hall. A little stark, it works well enough for what it is.
8. Los Beat 4 – “Pobre Gato” – A Beat-style Vocal-Pop number, this is another in a long line of tracks in this journal that sound like they could have been originally sung by The Beatles in their early days. I’m no master of the Spanish language, but I believe the title roughly means “Poor Cat”.
9. Los Streaks – “Diablo Con Vestido Azul” – A charming rocker with a bit of a Surf-twang to the guitar playing, this one has very fun electric organ work, as well as a kind of frantic pace! The vocalists are skilled, and help to flesh things out. A go go song through and through, this one was originally a Motown number (“Devil in a Blue Dress”).
Los Streaks!
10. Los Yorks – “Cielo” – Bobby Hebb originally performed this slow and smooth Jazz-Pop track ("Sunny"), and Los Yorks make it their own. Everything comes together pretty well for this one (and the guitar riff during the break sounds kind of like the 007 theme song)!
11. Radio Barcelona – “Estacion Identification” – Straight from Barcelona, here’s another radio ID to add to the culture of the compilation!
12. Los Salvajes – “Soy Asi” – Returning again (man, these guys have by far the most songs of any band on this compilation), Los Salvajes keep the party alive with their Beat-style foot-stomper! Just for kicks, they randomly throw in the guitar riff from The Rolling Stone’s “Satisfaction”.
13. Los Monjes – “Pobre Nina” – This is the same recording as number twenty from the first disc (“Conoces El Final” by Los Cheyenes). I believe the manufacturers made a mistake here. Since the one on the first disc doesn’t sound anything like Los Cheyenes, I’ll assume that this is where the track was supposed to go.
14. Los Brincos – “Nadie Te Quiere Ya” – A melancholy Vocal-Pop number, the instrumentation works very well with the vocal harmonies to create a fun and compelling track (and the trumpets that play in the middle add a nice Latin touch). Definitely one of the stand-out tracks of the compilation so far!
Los Brincos
15. Los 4 Crickets – “Yo Crei” – Right away, you can tell that this is a cover of “Reach Out, I’ll Be There”, a fun song that was a popular track to cover among club bands back in the day. Though not quite as compelling as the original, this one definitely isn’t a bad number.
16. Los No – “Incomprendidos” – A great foot-stomper, the general tune of it kind of reminds me of “My Generation” by The Who. I like the tone change in the middle, where the guitar and harmonica player both get fun breaks.
17. Los Speakers – “Te Olvidare” – If you like Psychadelic stompers with electric organs and fuzz-guitars, you’ll be right at home with this one! This is another catchy track where everything just works well, and the Hendrix-y guitar solo in the middle only helps.
18. Kaleidoscope – “P.S. Come Back” – I hope you liked those accented English sung tracks earlier, because here’s another one! This one starts off kind of weak, but at the minute mark it comes to a stop, blasting into a fuzz-guitar solo.
19. Los 007 – “Yo No Puedo Econtrar” – Going for the slow and haunting feeling, Los 007 provide a change of pace for the compilation. This track really sounds similar (especially the chorus) to “Need A Little Lovin’” by fellow Garage Rockers Foggy Notions.
Los 007! I wonder where the got they name from...
20. Traffic Sound – “I’m So Glad” – Recognize this one? Back in the Honey Ltd. Entry, this was the song they performed live in the video at the bottom of the page! Skip James originally performed this one, way back in the day. The vocalists do pretty well here, and the harmonies work well.
21. Los Salvajes – “Corre Corre” – Los Salvajes again, with a rough cover of Jackie Edwards’ Ska classic “Keep On Running”. Though not the best cover, there’s something fun and infectious about it…
22. Los Gatos Negros Quique Tudel – “Cadillac” – Another cover, this time of a Vince Taylor and The Playboys tune (“Brand New Cadillac”). They do a pretty good job here, and the tune is pretty jumpy and compelling!
23. Los Salvajes – “La Neurostenia” – Who else? It’s Los Salvajes yet again, with another cover (“19th Nervous Breakdown” by The Rolling Stones). This one is just as jumpin’ and fuzz-guitar laden as their other numbers.
24. Los Belmonts – “Arriba, Abajo Y Lados” – I thought a Yardbird cover would pop up somewhere, and sure enough here’s a cover of “Over Under Sideways Down”. Frantic and fun, it’s certainly got charm to it!
25. Los Sleepers – “Zombie” – The last track of the CD, this one is a melancholy song with solid drumming and strong bass work. It’s a bit unusual, but I guess that’s the whole point!
Los Sleepers!
We’re now officially half-way through Los Nuggetz! It’s very fun so far, getting to hear famous songs from the sixties as covered by Latin Garage Rockers, and the original numbers are great as well. However, a few bands pop up too often (the most apparent being Los Salvajes). That’s not to say that they’re bad, only that it kind of stifles the variety.
That’s all for today! I’ll bring another album tomorrow, and I’ll cut into the third part of Los Nuggetz as well. Seeya!